Lasius Neglectus (Invasive Garden Ant)
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This is a repository copy of GB Non-native Species Rapid Risk Assessment : Rapid Risk Assessment of: Lasius neglectus (Invasive Garden Ant). White Rose Research Online URL for this paper: https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/112342/ Version: Accepted Version Monograph: Buckham-Bonnett, Phillip and Robinson, Elva Joan Hilda orcid.org/0000-0003-4914-9327 (Accepted: 2017) GB Non-native Species Rapid Risk Assessment : Rapid Risk Assessment of: Lasius neglectus (Invasive Garden Ant). Research Report. GB Non-native Species Rapid Risk Assessments (NRRA) . GB Non-native Species Secretariat (In Press) Reuse Items deposited in White Rose Research Online are protected by copyright, with all rights reserved unless indicated otherwise. They may be downloaded and/or printed for private study, or other acts as permitted by national copyright laws. The publisher or other rights holders may allow further reproduction and re-use of the full text version. This is indicated by the licence information on the White Rose Research Online record for the item. Takedown If you consider content in White Rose Research Online to be in breach of UK law, please notify us by emailing [email protected] including the URL of the record and the reason for the withdrawal request. [email protected] https://eprints.whiterose.ac.uk/ GB Non-native Species Rapid Risk Assessment (NRRA) Rapid Risk Assessment of: Lasius neglectus (Invasive Garden Ant) Author: Phillip Buckham-Bonnett, Elva J H Robinson Version: Draft 1 (06/05/2016), Peer Review (04/11/2016), NNRAP 1st review (Nov 2016), Draft 2 (11/01/2017), etc. Signed off by NNRAP: TBC Approved by Programme Board: [sent September 2015] Placed on NNSS website: TBC Introduction: The rapid risk assessment is used to assess invasive non-native species more rapidly than the larger GB Non-native Risk Assessment. The principles remain the same, relying on scientific knowledge of the species, expert judgement and peer review. For some species the rapid assessment alone will be sufficient, others may go on to be assessed under the larger scheme if requested by the Non-native Species Programme Board. Guidance notes: We recommend that you read all of the questions in this document before starting to complete the assessment. Short answers, including one word answers, are acceptable for the first 10 questions. More detail should be provided under the subsequent questions on entry, establishment, spread, impacts and climate change. References to scientific literature, grey literature and personal observations are required where possible throughout. 1 - What is the principal reason for performing the Risk Assessment? (Include any other reasons as comments) Response: To rapidly assess the risk associated with this species in Great Britain 2 - What is the Risk Assessment Area? Response: Great Britain 3 - What is the name of the organism (scientific and accepted common; include common synonyms and notes on taxonomic complexity if relevant)? Response: Lasius neglectus Van Loon, Boomsma & Andrásfalvy, 1990 (Hymenoptera, Formicidae) Common names: Invasive Garden Ant (preferred), Asian Super-Ant The species has sometimes been incorrectly synonymised with Lasius turcicus due to morphological similarities (Seifert, 2000). In records predating its description in 1990, the species is often thought to be Lasius alienus. 1 4 - Is the organism known to be invasive anywhere in the world? Response: Yes. Lasius neglectus is a widespread invasive pest in Europe and Asia Minor and has been recorded at over two hundred sites across twenty countries (see Figure 1). Global distribution information can be found at: www.creaf.uab.es/xeg/Lasius/Ingles/distribution.htm Figure 1 – Map showing the location of all known Lasius neglectus colonies. Blue dots represent locations where the ant has been found, countries with colonies are indicates in grey, and the likely home range of the ant [adapted from Cremer et al. (2008)] is indicated in brown. Data from (Boase, pers. comm.; Espadaler and Bernal, 2015; Gippet et al., 2016; Le Parisiene, 2015; pers. obs. [PBB]). 5 - What is the current distribution status of the organism with respect to the Risk Assessment Area? Response: As of the NRRA Draft 2 date, Lasius neglectus is established at seven locations in Great Britain and has been successfully eliminated from one location (see Figure 2). It was first found at Hidcote Manor, Gloucestershire in 2009 where it occupies approximately 14ha (Boase, 2014; Fox, 2010). A small satellite colony has formed in a quarry approximately 800m to the East of the main colony most likely as a result of transport from Hidcote (Boase, pers. comm.). Lasius neglectus was found in low numbers at Stowe, Buckinghamshire in 2010 on building materials imported from Italy. An immediate eradication response appears to have prevented the species becoming established at this site (Boase, pers. comm.). Lasius neglectus was found in the Cambridge University Botanic Gardens in 2010 (pers. obs. [PBB]) where it is now well established covering an area of approximately five hectares (Boase, pers.comm, pers. obs. [PBB]). In 2014 Lasius neglectus was found in Hendon, North London. An initial inspection found the species occupies at least one hectare of residential and commercial properties (Boase, pers. comm.). 2 In 2016 Lasius neglectus was found in the village of Kirk Smeaton in North Yorkshire. It extends approximately 500 metres along a road and currently affects in the region of sixty residential properties (pers. obs. [PBB]). In 2016 Lasius neglectus was also found in the grounds and buildings of a farm and school near Rodmell in East Sussex where it occupies at least two to three hectares (Boase, pers.comm.). Control attempts so far have had little success. In 2016 Lasius neglectus was also detected in Eastbourne, East Sussex where it occupies an area of at least 7ha. The species is found in residential properties, gardens, college buildings and pavements and has reached pest status (Boase, pers. comm.). In 2016 a Lasius neglectus colony was detected in a luxury apartment block in the vicinity of Holland Park, London (W8). The extent of this infestation is unknown (Boase, pers. comm.). Moreover, Lasius neglectus is taxonomically cryptic (i.e. superficially similar to some British ant species), therefore hard to detect. This means L. neglectus usually goes unnoticed until it reaches pest status and is therefore likely to be present at more sites than currently known. It is important to note that the size of a colony is not necessarily and indicator of establishment date as colonies can grow and shrink at different rates (Tartally et al., 2016). Lasius neglectus is often found in and around buildings. This is likely a result of human mediated transport and factors such as the availability of suitable nest sites. Warmth for overwintering may also be a benefit but Lasius neglectus is able to overwinter in much colder areas that Great Britain, for example sites where the mean air temperature in the coldest month of -4.4°C (Seifert, 2000). Figure 2 – The location of known Lasius neglectus colonies (green circles), sites where the species has been eradicated (blue triangles). Information correct as of NRRA review date. 3 6 - Are there conditions present in the Risk Assessment Area that would enable the organism to survive and reproduce? Comment on any special conditions required by the species? Response: The whole of Great Britain (with the exception of some mountainous regions) is thought to be currently climatically suitable for Lasius neglectus, with the potential range increasing under climate change forecasts (Bertelsmeier et al., 2015a). Lasius neglectus can survive in a wide range of habitats. Whilst it is usually found in highly disturbed areas such as gardens, parks, urban areas and pasture (Boase, 2014; Czechowska and Czechowski, 2003; Espadaler, 1999; Recerca and Forestals, 2003), it can also invade natural sites (Paris and Espadaler, 2012). Lasius neglectus exhibits very flexible foraging behaviour, exploiting a wide range of food sources. It forages on both floral and extra-floral plant nectaries (Espadaler et al., 2007; pers. obs. [PBB]) and forms mutualisms with a diverse group of honeydew producing insects, including some of which are non-native (pers. obs. [PBB]). This means that the species is highly likely to be able to find food sources at new sites. Once established, L. neglectus causes an increase in the abundance of taxa such as aphids which it utilises as a food resource (Paris and Espadaler, 2009) promoting its continued success. Lasius neglectus forms supercolonies comprising multiple non-antagonistic nests that can each contain multiple queens (Boomsma et al., 1990; Espadaler et al., 2004). This, combined with the species’s aggressive behaviour towards other ant species (Bertelsmeier et al., 2015b; Cremer et al., 2006; Santarlasci et al., 2014) means that native ant communities are unable to resist the spread of the invasive ant. The low parasite prevalence in L. neglectus and low levels of intraspecific aggression (Cremer et al., 2008) also contribute to its ability to readily establish, survive, and thrive in novel locations. 7 - Does the known geographical distribution of the organism include ecoclimatic zones comparable with those of the Risk Assessment Area or sufficiently similar for the organism to survive and thrive? Response: Yes – see response to questions 4 and 6. 8 - Has the organism established viable (reproducing) populations anywhere outside of its native range (answer N/A if you have answered ‘yes’ to question 4)? Response: N/A 9 - Can the organism spread rapidly by natural means or by human assistance? Response: Natural spread Unlike most species in the genus Lasius, Lasius neglectus queens do not usually fly during or post mating. However, queen morphology suggests that they should be capable of flight (Espadaler and Rey, 2001) and on one occasion a queen was found suspended in a spider’s web in a location that would have been difficult to access without flight (Schultz and Seifert, 2005).